• Mr Ahern's resignation

  IT HAD TO be this way and Bertie Ahern, the master of pragmatic politics, knew it. He could not have stayed on as Taoiseach for much longer without causing irreparable damage to his legacy, his party, the Coalition Government and the country. He has made the right decision for himself and the country to name an early date for his resignation as Taoiseach. And it is a measure of the political substance of the man that, through the manner of his leaving, he has partially redeemed his reputation rather than hanging on to be hunted out of office. He will have a well-deserved month-long lap of honour. p
  

• Shedding light on Lisbon

  THE GOVERNMENT'S White Paper on the European Union's reform treaty, published yesterday, aims to set out in a fair and factual manner how it changes the EU's functioning. It succeeds well in this task and can be recommended as a clear guide to what is usually presented as a complex document that is difficult for citizens to understand. The text explains how the treaty is structured and each section is usefully accompanied by an account of how and why the Government took the position it did during the negotiations. p
  

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